NIKE SCORES AT U.S. OPEN: Michael Jordan’s appearance at Roger Federer’s first round U.S. Open match got some attention, but wasn’t simply a case of the basketball great wanting to catch a match. Instead, it was all part of an elaborately staged rendezvous orchestrated by Nike, which sponsors both athletes, reports WSJ. Mr. Jordan’s presence was meant to promote a new limited edition of Mr. Federer’s line of tennis shoes, which the player wore during the match. Nike hit the grand slam with the stunt after the shoes became the subject of an ESPN interview with Mr. Federer, although ESPN said the discussion wasn’t part of any larger marketing deal. Even so, it just highlights how serendipity plays a role in marketing.

YOUR MOVE GOOGLE: Now that the dust has settled on Amazon’s $1 billion acquisition of Twitch, the seemingly out-of-nowhere video site geared for gamers watching other gamers, it’s time to ask what Google will do. After all, Google was said to be close to acquiring Twitch before the Amazon deal. Certainly, YouTube doesn’t lack for an audience. And it’s got tons of gaming content. So YouTube could conceivably just start it’s own version of Twitch–think a YouTube Live Gaming Channel. But gaming experts say it’s not nearly that easy, reports WSJ’s CMO Today. Twitch had built a specialized, grassroots, full fledged gaming community, and that’s hard to replicate. And as central as YouTube is to Web video, it’s not much of a player in live streaming–most of its attempts in the arena have gone nowhere. So doing a Twitch wannabe isn’t necessarily a natural for the Google brand. In the grand scheme of things, that might not matter, as YouTube would seemingly do just fine without a ton of live video game viewing. But this is also how big media companies can get caught sleeping on consumer trends. Some are wondering whether Twitch represents something more than just a gamer hangout, but a new group-oriented consumption pattern that will appeal to millennials and younger demos for all sorts of entertainment. In other words, watching movies, TV shows and other forms of video with your friends and interested strangers across the globe could transcend gaming. YouTube surely doesn’t want to let this sort of thing pass it by.

COME TWEET WITH ME: In an attempt to tease more ad dollars from agencies, Twitter is launching an online resource designed to educate ad buyers on exactly what it has to offer, Ad Age reports. The training tool, dubbed “Twitter Flight School,” apparently includes “everything agencies need to know to develop high-impact marketing campaigns for clients”, and specifically answers questions Twitter says it receives regularly from its agency partners. Starcom MediaVest Group and WPP are already enrolled in the program, but Twitter said it plans to roll it out to other agencies globally over the next six months.

ESPN PUSHES COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS: Boy, ESPN sure is concerned about educating college football fans about the fact that the sport will finally have a playoff system this year (and the fact that ESPN is televising the game). First, the sports leader recruited the actor who played Rudy in the 1993 film “Rudy” to shoot a very funny commercial explaining the new four-team playoff system. Now, CMO Today reports that the network is rolling a new campaign under the tagline “In Common” which, besides espousing college football fandom’s diversity, is aimed at getting fans familiarized with the new playoff system. All of this begs the question–does ESPN actually know any college football fans? Does it think that college football lovers, who have been complaining about the lack of a playoff system for decades, haven’t heard anything about this initiative, or won’t pick up clues during the season? Or that there are people out there who won’t quite grasp how a four team playoff format will play out (what’s a semifinal again dad?)? Still, as ESPN is planning to broadcast more than 450 college football games this season, it perhaps feels it can’t afford to leave anything to chance.

ELSEWHERE: Apple is planning to introduce a new wearable technology product next month, reports Recode…Pandora is launching on Google Glass, reports CNET…The Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. reported a huge surge in revenue just prior to the company’s planned IPO next month reports WSJ….The Guardian has partnered with several U.S. newspapers to collaborate on underreported local stories, reports The Columbia Journalism Review...TV anchor Keith Olbermann will return to ESPN’s flagship series SportsCenter starting next week, reports Broadcasting and Cable…Meanwhile Diane Sawyer has signed off as the anchor for ABC’s “World News,” reports TVNewser.

About CMO Today

CMO Today is an offering from The Wall Street Journal, helping marketing executives discern who and what matters in marketing today. Contact our editors with news items, comments and questions at CMOToday@WSJ.com.